Tokyo Olympics medallist Bajrang Punia granted additional financial assistance

Indian Wrestler Bajrang Punia has been granted Rs 1.76 lakh additional financial assistance for training, earlier he was given Rs 7.53 lakhs for training in Moscow.

The Sports Ministry's Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) has granted additional financial assistance to the tune of Rs 1.76 lakh for Tokyo Games medallist wrestler Bajrang Punia to support his foreign exposure training.

Bajrang, a bronze medallist at the Tokyo Olympics, was earlier approved an amount of Rs 7.53 lakh for a 26-day training camp in Moscow ahead of a busy season. He is now being supported with an additional Rs 1.76 kakh for his ongoing camp that started on December 27.

Jitender and Anand Kumar have accompanied Bajrang as his sparring partner and physiotherapist respectively. Bajrang is set to compete in international meets, including UWW Ranking events, the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham as well as the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. ''I have to compete in Ranking Series in Italy and Turkey this February and then the Asian Championships in Mongolia in April. I'm going to give my best as I aim to change the colour of my medal in Paris 2024,'' Bajrang said in a statement issued by the Sports Authority of India.